When it comes to cooking with oils, how do you choose your cooking oil? There are many types of cooking oils to choose from the market, such as olive oil, peanut oil, vegetable oils and etc, As we know, some oils are great for high temperatures, but some just can’t take the heat. Some are heart-smart, while some are loaded with saturated fat.
Many people prefer vegetable oil as they think it has more benefit. But, did you now that, vegetable oil does not come from vegetables, like lettuce, carrots or tomatoes?!! Vegetable oil is made from any number of oils. Turn over the bottle and you’ll see possibilities such as soybean, sunflower and corn, however, exactly what’s inside may not be specified. That means its nutritional content and culinary performance are unspecified, too.
Manuel Villacorta, R.D., author of “Whole Body Reboot”, and Sarah-Jane Bedwell, R.D., nutrition columnist at Self and author of “Schedule Me Skinny”, noting that the ideal cooking oil is low in saturated fat and high in heat tolerance. Both of them prefer canola oil due to four reasons: healthy, neutral, heat stable and affordable.
Four Reasons to use Canola Oil for Cooking:
1. It’s healthy
Canola oil contains the least saturated fat – about half that of olive, soybean, corn and sunflower oils – and the most plant-based omega-3 fat of all common cooking oils. Canola oil has a qualified health claim for reducing the risk of heart disease* and research also shows it may help control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. With vegetable oil, you just don’t know.
2. It’s neutral
Canola oil has no taste and a light texture (unlike olive or coconut oils), which is what you want when preparing a spicy Mexican feast, tart lemon cake or an herb-laced dressing. The flavors of your ingredients, not your oil, take center stage. Other oils have heavier textures than canola oil.
3. It can take the heat
Broil, sear or even deep-fry to your heart’s content. Canola oil has one of the highest heat tolerances of any cooking oil (smoke point of 468° F), so it’s an ideal kitchen partner. Smoke points vary with the type of oil.
4. It’s affordable
Canola oil costs about the same as vegetable oil, but canola is superior nutritionally with guaranteed performance.
– Source: PRNewswire
